In video footage broadcast on Al-Jazeera, Ayman al-Zawahiri calls on group to continue armed struggle, not to accept 'surrender accords' between Israel, PA

AFP|Published: 03.05.06 , 07:46

Al-Qaeda deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri urged Hamas to fight on and not to accept agreements between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

Speaking in video footage broadcast on the Arabic television channel Al-Jazeera, Zawahiri described the agreements as "surrender accords" and called on Hamas, victors in the recent Palestinian election, "to continue the armed struggle."

The Al-Qaeda number two mentioned specifically the 1993 Oslo peace accords between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization, as well as the current international Road Map peace plan.

'Crusade against Muslims'

Zawahiri also called on Muslims to boycott countries that have "insulted the Prophet Muhammad" by printing cartoons depicting him.

"We consider the publication of the caricatures to be part of a crusade against Muslims led by the United States," he said.

The cartoons, which are considered blasphemous by most Muslims, were first printed in a Danish newspaper last year and have since been reprinted in many European countries, triggering riots in many Muslim countries that left at least 40 people dead.